


Oracle of Delphi

by LastHope



Series: Superheroes of Olympus [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - All Human, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Origin Story, Superheroes of Olympus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2828429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastHope/pseuds/LastHope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel Dare was presented with a choice.  Well, not so much as a choice as a decision.  Really, it wasn’t a decision at all.  Her mind had already been made up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oracle of Delphi

**Author's Note:**

> There are some slight spoilers for parts that have not been written or posted yet, but like the other parts, this should be readable fine as a stand-alone piece. If you have any major questions feel free to leave them in the comments, or send them to the series' tumblr, superheroesofolympus.tumblr.com

When Rachel Dare made her decision, it was not too long after the Battle for Olympus City.  Actually, quite honestly, it was during the Battle for Olympus City that she made her decision.  It was only that she could not quite act upon her decision until after the Battle had ended.  The wait for the Battle to taper off gave Rachel plenty of time to reconsider her decision, even though she never considered the possibility of reconsidering.

She knew she had a duty, and she knew she had to act upon that duty.

Unfortunately, everyone else did not appear to have the same knowledge as her.

“Rachel, just think about it!” Percy was protesting.  “Do you really want to risk your life for this?”

They had all converged in the Rec Room of the Big House on Camp Half-Blood’s grounds.  There was only five of them; Percy and Annabeth, Chiron, who oversaw the heroes training, Dionysus, who was the Superhero in charge of the camp, and then Rachel herself.

“I know what I’m doing.” Rachel very pointedly did not look at Percy, and kept her words directed at Chiron.  She had come to Chiron with her decision, and had intended only for Chiron to hear it.  “Chiron, you understand right?  This is _my_ decision.”

“Miss Dare is right,” Chiron acquiesced, rubbing his chin and contemplating the matter at hand.  “It is her decision, Percy, Annabeth.  If she wants to do it despite the risks–”

“Chiron you said so yourself,” Annabeth interrupted.  “The mantle of the Oracle has been unable to be passed since the curse Hades put on her!”

“I have every reason to believe that Hades curse has been lifted,” Rachel snapped.  “Not only that, but Hades has been dead for what, three years now?  No one has tried to take the mantle since he was executed, so who’s to say that the curse didn’t lift naturally when he died?  No one’s tried, so no one _knows_.”  Rachel was doing her very best to stay calm, but her voice was raised by the end of it despite her efforts.

“Now, let’s all take a deep breath and discuss this _rationally_ ,” Chiron intervened once more.  “It is true that there is the possibility that the curse of Hades is no longer on our current Oracle, but Miss Dare, there are other procedures we have to go through as well.  Other tests.  Passing a mantle is not that–”

“Easy?” Rachel interrupted, and she knew she was being terribly rude, but she didn’t like being second guessed _or_ treated like a child.  She got enough of that from her own parents.  “Pardon my interruption and callousness, but what of Nico di Angelo when he had a mantle passed on to _him_?  I was there– all the former Ghost King did was _ask_ Nico if he would take the mantle.  There was no prior training or preparation in _that_ case.”

“Nico di Angelo was an extenuating circumstance, Miss Dare.” Chiron answered calmly.  “As it is, we are all very lucky that the mantle did not take hold and that we did not lose Nico as well.”

Annabeth and Percy shared a look, one that Rachel did not miss.  It was suspicious, but she did not feel that this was the right moment to comment on it.  She filed it in the back of her mind, to bring up when she needed to.  Besides, as bad as she felt about it, she had dirt on at least Percy that she could use to her advantage.

“Not only that,” Annabeth put in her two cents once more, “But Athena’s research on mantles have stated before that there is not much research for villain mantles like what was passed on to Nico, other than that they don’t have a strict guideline or rhyme or reason to _how_ they are passed.  Research on villain mantles is just conjecture.  On the other hand, for hero mantles, and neutral mantles like the Oracle, there are guidelines that need to be followed.”

“Yeah, age requirements, prior training, a certain level of ability,” Percy added.  “That sort of thing.  Not to mention, aren’t there awful side-effects for _anyone_ who takes on a mantle, villain or otherwise?”

“Legal age requirement for passing of hero and neutral mantles is that you have to be at least fourteen years of age.  I’m sixteen.”  Rachel pointed out.  Contrary to what seemed to be the current belief, she _had_ done her research.  “I’m the proper age, and even _if_ I don’t have prior training or the right level of ability, I _know_ what I am doing.  I’m aware of the consequences, and I understand what will happen to me if the mantle does not take.” She repeated herself.  “This is _my_ decision, and I have made it.  The Oracle is in no shape to contest my decision, and protocol states in this situation that it is up to the Council or a spokesperson of the hero in question to make the final decision.  Not,” Rachel eyed Percy and Annabeth at the side, “two heroes-in-training.”

“Miss Raid is right,” Dionysus stated, shrugging his shoulders.  Rachel didn’t bother correcting him that it was Dare, not Raid.  “It is up to the Council in this situation.”

“Indeed,” Chiron nodded gravely.  “We will be back shortly.  In the meantime, Miss Dare, you are free to remain here.” Then the two adults left the room, leaving Rachel alone with Annabeth and Percy.

“You can’t honestly be considering this,” Percy blurted as soon as the two were gone.  “It’s _suicide_ Rachel!”

“Oh, you can’t be too sure,” Annabeth hummed, and it seemed she was playing Devil’s advocate, taking Rachel’s side once the adults were gone.  “Rachel has a point Percy.  There is no way to tell whether or not Hades curse has been lifted or not.  If she wants to attempt it, it’s her decision.”

“And I think you of all people, Percy,” Rachel added.  “Should know a thing about decisions.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Percy demanded.  Rachel shrugged.  For a beat she wondered if it was wrong of her to be doing this, but it was only her and Annabeth in the room, and it wasn’t as if Rachel was using this to be purely malicious; she was doing it to prove a point.

“It means,” She decided to play her hand now.  “That I know what you were trying to get Wisdom to agree to do to Nico, _Tidal Force_.”  Percy blanched, but didn’t say anything more.  Annabeth looked mildly impressed.

“How’d you know?” Annabeth asked, both girls settling in chairs as Percy leaned faintly against the pool table.  It was obvious that she was asking how Rachel knew that Percy was Tidal Force.  Rachel shrugged; she wasn’t about to show another hand.

From there it was an awkward wait for Chiron and Dionysus to return.  ‘We’ll be back shortly’ seemed to be code for a three hour wait, and in that time Percy had wisely decided to leave to train with some of the other campers. After the two hour mark Annabeth had announced that she had drills to run and other things she needed to do with her cabin mates, and left.

Once it reached the three and a half hour mark, Chiron returned.  Dionysus wasn’t with him, but a different hero was with him.  Blond, short hair, blue eyes, and taller than Rachel.  He was relatively attractive, but not really in the ‘butterflies in the stomach’ sort of way.

“So, you’re Miss Dare?” The hero asked in a chipper voice before Chiron could do introductions.  Rachel nodded as she quickly stood, and held out her hand.

“You can call me Rachel.” She told him.

“Apollo is fine,” The hero said as he shook her hand.  “The Council has deliberated on your case Rachel, and the decision’s been made to allow you to make the attempt of taking on the Oracle’s mantle.”

“Thank you,” Rachel said as he released her hand, but Apollo just waved his hand dismissively.

“No need for thanks.  Besides,” He winked elbowing her in the side, “despite what anyone says, the Oracle is one of the easiest mantles to pass on.  At least, it was before Hades put his curse on her, but his was more of a ‘no passing’ thing.  You’ll do great!  On our way to the hospital, I’ll brief you on the requirements for the Oracle’s mantle.”

Apollo was a hero in his mid to late twenties, Rachel determined on their way to see the Oracle.  He was nice, and a bit overly enthusiastic.

“Now, the requirements to be accepted as the new Oracle,” Apollo explained as they made their way through Olympus City Hospital.  “First off, you don’t need any sort of training for fighting.  The Oracle is mainly a side-line hero.  Whoever the Oracle is gives guidance to anyone– civilians, heroes, even villains.  It’s why they’re considered a neutral hero.  They don’t only use their power for good; they can use it for good _and_ evil.  And it’ll be up to your judgment, Rachel, how to use the power of the Oracle, if the mantle takes with you.”

“All right,” Rachel nodded, though she felt as though Apollo would have continued talking even if she hadn’t had said anything.

“Second, typically they– and by ‘they’ I mean the Council –prefer the Oracle mantle to be passed on to someone who they consider has some ‘clairvoyance’.  But if you have no experience with any of that sort of thing, that’s fine, most of the skills will come to you after the mantle’s passed.” Rachel nodded.

“I’ve used tarot cards before,” She confessed– it wasn’t something Rachel typically confessed to others, because she got weird looks.  There were only a handful of people who didn’t judge her for it though, and a couple of them she had actually made tarot cards for.  “Does that count?”

“Definitely,” Apollo smiled.  “Some other skills you’ll develop are crystal ball reading and there’s a record of one Oracle being able to conduct séances, but that was back in the twenties, so don’t be surprised if that’s false.  You’ll also receive visions, and be prone to headaches and migraines due to these visions.  Don’t worry though,” he winked at Rachel, “as the Oracle, healthcare is included.”  It was clearly some sort of an attempt at a joke.

“Then there’s one last requirement,” Apollo stopped suddenly, and looked down at Rachel with a mix of a frown and a serious face.  “I apologize, because this is probably extremely awkward to ask– and I apologize ahead of time, this probably even creepier coming from me –but the Council insists that this qualification be filled.  However, I feel this is something rude to ask, and it’s just a Council preference and not a mantle requirement, really, so if you don’t tell I won’t tell.”

“What is it?”

“The Council insists on knowing whether or not you are a virgin.” Apollo rolled his eyes as Rachel felt her face heat up in embarrassment.  “Really, they just want to imitate the Oracle from mythology, and they don’t understand that the two are _not_ one in the same.  All the same, they insist on knowing whether or not you are a virgin, and, if so, that you remain one after accepting the mantle until the day that you pass it.”

Apollo paused, looking over Rachel.  He must have noticed how red her face was, and was probably trying to determine if it was from embarrassment or anger.

“Do you want to sit down?” He offered, and Rachel nodded, doing her best to hide her face from him with her hair, even though it was too late.  Apollo took her over to a bench and they both sat down.

“Can I tell you something?” Apollo asked, and Rachel nodded once more, even though whether or not she allowed him probably wouldn’t have stopped Apollo from speaking.

“You see Rachel,” Apollo said slowly, as if he were trying to phrase what he wanted to say gently, and not as if he thought she was stupid.  “Virginity isn’t really, well, _real_.  It’s just this socially constructed idea to try and keep certain people from having sex, and to have a reason to bully those people for having sex.”  Rachel could tell that this was going to a very awkward place, more awkward than she had anticipated, and she headed it off as swiftly as she could.

“Um, yeah, okay, I got it Apollo!” Rachel interjected quickly, waving her hands and all but leaping from her seat in a rush to get the hero to _stop talking_.  “So where exactly is the Oracle, anyway?  Might as well get what we’re here with over with, right?  No point keeping you from your hero stuff any longer than you have to.” She was laughing nervously, and forcing herself to calm down, willing the blush off of her cheeks.

“Right there,” Apollo stood as well, and gestured to the door immediately to the left of the bench that they had been sitting on.  He led the way, and held the door open for Rachel, ushering her into the room.

“So what do I need to do from here?” Rachel asked, staring at the girl in the wheelchair by the window.  She looked to be only nineteen years old, but that was a lie; the current Oracle was closer to her fifties or sixties in age.  When Hades had put his curse on her, not only had it caused the mantle to be unable to be passed, it had frozen the Oracle in time.

“You need to go to her, and tell her that you will take the mantle from her.” Apollo said.  Rachel took a deep breath, and tried to calm her nerves.

“And then what?”

“And then, we wait.  And see.”  Apollo’s cryptic way of speaking did not ease Rachel’s nerves, but she knew he had a point.

“You’ll see,” Rachel mumbled under her breath, more to herself than to Apollo.  “I _will_ be the Oracle.  The mantle _will_ pass.”

“That’s the spirit,” Apollo laughed, having heard her anyway.  He gave her a slap on the back like she was his teammate.  Which she might be.

Which she would be.

“Now, go get ‘em.”

And Rachel did.

She held her head high, and crossed the room with decisive steps, until she stood in front of the Oracle.

“The Oracle of Delphi,” Rachel’s voice was not wavering as she spoke, despite the wavering of her nerves.  “My name is Rachel Dare.  I am here to accept the mantle of the Oracle from you, if you so wish for it to be passed.”

She did not hold her breath as she waited for a reaction from the Oracle.  Rachel took deep, even breaths to keep herself calm.  She was prepared for any outcome that may occur, even if that outcome meant she would die.

The Oracle’s movement took both Rachel and Apollo by surprise; her head moved until it was staring up at Rachel, before lolling to the side.  Brown hair fell into brown eyes as they stared piercing daggers into Rachel’s own.  It was even more surprising to Rachel when the brown eyes changed into a poisonous green.

She had but half a second to have the thought of ‘ _Maybe this was a mistake’_ to pass through her mind before the Oracle’s mouth opened releasing a fog the same poisonous green as her eyes from it.

Panic rose in her when Rachel heard Apollo curse, “Not the same as last time!”

But that was the last thing she felt.

Because before Rachel could register anything else, the fog had completely engulfed her.  It shrouded her, covering her in a bubble of poisonous gas.  All she could see in any direction was the green fog, and Rachel could feel her heart beating faster and faster as she panicked despite her best efforts to remain calm–

And then everything went **_black_.**

* * *

 


End file.
